By Ayomide Otitoju
The Presidency has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks on Nigeria’s security situation, claiming he lacks the credibility to criticise President Bola Tinubu.
Obasanjo, speaking on Friday in Jos, Plateau State, expressed concern over escalating violence in the country and suggested Nigerians might have a right to seek foreign intervention, citing what he described as the government’s failure to protect citizens.
In response, the government alleged that terrorism began to take root under Obasanjo’s administration, framing current security challenges as a legacy of his tenure. It also condemned the former president’s call for external assistance as an abdication of responsibility.
The statement, issued via the verified X account of the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said: “Before recommending surrender, the former President should reflect on what he failed to do when these terrorists first began organising under his watch.”
The Presidency highlighted the scale and complexity of Nigeria’s security threats, noting a “multilayered terrorist ecosystem” that includes international terror groups, ISIS- and al-Qaeda-linked franchises in the Sahel, local violent extremist groups, cross-border cells, ideological insurgents, and criminal-terror hybrids. It emphasized that these actors share resources and coordinate to undermine the state.
“The people killing Nigerians, raiding villages, kidnapping innocents, blowing up infrastructure, and challenging state authority are terrorists — whether they fly a foreign flag or none at all,” the statement said.
Accusing Obasanjo’s administration of neglect, the Presidency noted that Boko Haram’s early ideological cells and recruitment networks were allowed to develop during his civilian presidency. “What began as a preventable extremist sect transformed into a violent insurgency, a cross-border franchise, and a regional menace aligned with global jihadist movements,” it said.
While affirming Nigeria’s commitment to international cooperation, the government stressed it would not outsource its security or surrender sovereignty. “Nigeria will cooperate internationally, yes, but it will not raise a white flag because someone who once had the chance lost his nerve,” the statement asserted. The Presidency added that collaboration with allied nations, including the United States, is already underway to address the transnational nature of the threat.
